Eclipse
by kriztian
Summary: It's not exactly an anime crossover, but it's the closest I could find. A girl on an adventure to discover her fuzzy background.
1. Battle

Chapter One 

Tai adjusted her mask and tightened her headband; the two knight commanders before her had just been approved for the official battle. However, Tai knew that her turn would not be as simple. Never before in the history of the county had a girl been chosen by the town headmaster to represent the city in the final annual competition. Being at the youngest age to qualify, Tai's situation was nearly helpless. She was the only girl that had tried out to be the symbol of Sapphire City. The arsenal contained almost two hundred male soldiers and still the headmaster did not seem hesitant to choose her. Like many others, Tai was also confused on the town headmaster's awkward decision. Tai knew that she was good for her age and gender, but she would have never guessed that she would have made it all the way to the top. This was either going to be a historically proud or pathetically humiliating moment, there was no in between. Tai anxiously waited for her name to be called by the competition announcer. Finally the voice boomed, "The designated leader of Sapphire City is Tai…"

As Tai stood there in the unlit tunnel she knew that her name was being questioned. Tai's breathing was quickening as her heart began to pound hard on her chest. Finally, after a few minutes that seemed like hours to Tai, the announcer cleared his voice and shouted loudly, but not as dignified as the other two male names, "Tai Caliste."

As the blinding rays of light reached Tai's eyes she squinted to see the audience reactions. Some of them were silent and in awe, but most of them had on jeering expressions as well as some that evidently didn't approve of her entry. Tai shifted her gaze from the crowds to the three headmasters of the three cities. Two of them were trying to calm the crowd and the headmaster that had chosen her to be the Sapphire City representative was speaking to the emperor. Looking back to the crowd she found that many faces had started whispering to one another. _Fools, just talk aloud if you dare because it's obvious what you're all talking about, _thought Tai. Tai held her breath as she waited for the emperor's reaction. Her stomach gave a lurch when she watched the emperor's son, Tethys Ananke, whisper to his father.

Tai had to think about her situation just to resist the urge to roll her eyes as she thought, _another fool who doesn't have the nerve to speak out loud._

Finally the emperor nodded his head in a hesitating approval. Tai exhaled and continued her long walk into the ring to join the two exemplifying opponents. Both of them grinned as she approached. Tai's body quivered with rage, she hated to be lowly looked upon and underestimated. Tai knew what they were thinking, _feh don't think that just because I'm a girl I'm going to give up without a fight. If you don't believe that I can be just as good as the other boys you call 'soldiers', then perhaps a demonstration will help you rethink the matter._

------

Diamond City symbol Tyrone stood there aghast, but showed no sign of shock. There, entering the arena representing Sapphire City was a girl. There was no doubt that the person behind the mask was a female. Although his instincts told him to beware, his pretentious attitude pushed the idea aside. Tyrone grinned at the thought of an easy victory. Tyre and his longtime friend Li stood there in the circle and when Tai joined them Tyrone couldn't help but smile. Tyrone gave Li a look and Li gave one back.

"Bow," instructed the announcer. All three slowly bowed and turned to face the emperor. There were to be as little as two and as many as three duels between the three candidates. The first person to reach two points, one point for each win, would be the victor. Once winning a battle, the point is kept with the winner, however, if that winner is defeated, then the battle as well as the point that he had received would go to the new victor, therefore, an automatic win. Battle One would consist of two random warriors chosen by the emperor. Battle Two would be the winner of the first battle with the warrior who did not fight before. All this was according to tradition a long, long time ago (and was understood a long time later because of multiple confusion).

------

"The first battle will be Tyrone, or Tyre as he would like to be called, versus Li," bellowed the announcer. Tai walked over to the chair where the waiting warrior was to sit. While walking, Tai felt the irritating gazes of the unsatisfied spectators following her and watching her every move for flaws to complain about.

"Begin!" cried the announcer. Tai watched as the boys clashed and fought with their deadly bladed swords. Tai could barely hear the swords connect as the assemble screamed and cheered with excitement.

------

Tyre had leaped and Li did the same. They both collided and a whole cloud of dust picked up and flew into the air. Tyre searched for his opponent through the smokescreen. Despite the mild dust storm, Tyre was still able hear Li's footsteps through the audience reverberation.

Without looking, Tyre whipped his sword behind him. The sword was so perilously close that if Tyre or Li were to move involuntarily in the wrong direction, Li would be walking around with a fatal gash in his chest. Slowly the dust began to clear and Tyre wanted to see where his sword had landed, but before Tyre could even turn his head the announcer called, "The winner of Battle One is Tyrone… er, Tyre Skyler!" The Diamond City stands roared and the ladies screamed with excitement, as Tyre was to continue into the second round.

------

Tai would have laughed if so many people weren't watching her. Even though all three contestants were fourteen years old, Tyre had won the battle not because of skill, but because he had the abilities of a wolf.

Long ago there were two classifications of humans, one that believed that nature controlled everyone's lives and another that believed that nature was just there to help supply them with materials. The two groups debated about each other's ideas for years and eventually went into total separation. The group that believe in nature began living in different gatherings depending on what creature they loved the most. These groups were often called Clans. The group that used nature to their advantage lived randomly away from their opponent and soon forgot all about the other half of the human population.

It was said that Clans soon began to evolve. By living with their beloved creatures so closely and for so long, the different Clans began to gain a few special capabilities and relations of that of their animals. Their changes caused them to start calling their adversary humans 'Regulars.' Because of their differences, they began to hide and create their own places. They did this because of the fear of creating a commotion with the nearby Regulars or pure humans. Because the Regulars had forgotten all about the past, seeing something unique would cause a lot of commotion and would take time to clear up.

However, the different Clans began to die out because of the lack of mate selection in their living area. Fearing the worst, many left their homes and went to the common cities where they married Regulars and lived a normal life with them. However, still some believed that the existence crisis would turn around and stayed in their ancestors' homes to await the day. Most of the smaller Clans died out, but the larger ones who still stood a chance in reproducing were furious at their fellow Clan members that left. Wanting to prove to them that did not have enough faith and gave up too easily, they began over-mating and the population eventually grew to a stable number. However, still holding a grudge, the original Clans made laws that said when a half-breed child was born out of the Clan home, the child was forbidden to return and may be killed for trespassing without question.

The different Clan members that had left had half-bred with so many Regulars that it diluted the effects and physique of the half-breed children. The effects were usually mild and sometimes even too mild to even identify; the less distinguishable traits in the half-breed children allowed them to live among humans more adaptively. Because of the fear of having their child feel different and have the risky chance of losing their children's lives in going back to the Clan living place, many half-breed parents never told their heirs about their Clan history. This caused the generations to forget their past and live with the Regulars without even knowing about their well-developed abilities.

Even though most half-breeds were still born with tainted forms of their half-breed parent's instincts, speed, senses and ability of thought, they are unable to tell the difference between them and a Regular because there is rarely a big division between the custom feeling. Only a third of the born half-breeds have highly advanced senses like the members that still lived in the Clan area and only a tenth of those half-breeds know about their past.

Tyre, as Tai could sense, had the advanced senses of smell, night vision and hearing of a wolf. Tyre's reflexes were faster than a sheer human, but slower than an average wolf because of his wolf half-side. However, there was no visible outward appearance that would give him away. Tai knew all this because she herself had something similar and usually a person's action gave him or her away.

Tai walked as casually as she could into the field. No sooner did she position herself did the announcer cry, "Begin!"

She knew that the announcer had done this on purpose so that she would be at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, Kris was able to jump as Tyre's foot nearly connected with hers in a spinning low-kick. Flipping backwards and landing on her hands, Tai set herself down as Tyre came in for another attempt this time with a sword. _Clink_!

Tai felt too conscious; if she were to fight like this for the whole duration of the battle she would not win. Tai had pulled her sword as Tyre's had come swinging straight down. Tai was fast and never could the other boys who qualified for the symbol of Sapphire City compete with that. However, with Tyre's wolf speed, the speed advantage was near nothing and the two were evenly matched. Tai charged and knocked Tyre hard with her shoulder. Tai was going on automatic battle mode.

------

Tyre fell backward and landed on his behind. Going for the offensive, Tai lunged her sword straight for Tyre's chest, but Tyre's 'wolf reflexes' had stuck his sword in between just in time to halt the assault. Using Tai's own force against her, Tyre kicked her in the stomach and forced her right over his head landing her on her back. Never before had Tyre faced such a challenging opponent. It was hard for him to admit it because Tai was a girl. Tyre sprang to his feet and shot his sword downward, aiming for Tai's head. Tai rolled over and Tyre thrust again. After a while, Tyre could tell that Tai was getting dizzy from his continuous strategy, but was not prepared for her next move.

Tai rolled over five times to get out of Tyre's total sword range, which was the big flaw that Tyre had not caught in his strategy. Getting to her feet Tai charged at full speed, Tyre barely had enough time to recover and could barely block Tai's pointed sword using the flat side of his.

From the lack of time recovering, Tyre was unable to retain his balance and took a few steps backward. Tai lunged again, this time tauntingly to get Tyre to move back. Tyre, being flustered in the unexpected move, took the bait and dodged the provoking snares. This lasted finally up to the point where Tyre had backed into the battlefield corner. Tyre couldn't see through his opponent's mask, but he was sure that she was smiling at him mockingly.

Tyre was so busy thinking of escape issue possibilities that he was swiftly disarmed. Tyre was stuck, he couldn't move without surrendering the game. Tai had now disarmed him, immobilized his feet and arms and was staring at him face to face.

------

Kris smirked, _Feh! You underestimated me and yet your instincts should have sensed something. I don't know if your senses are weak or if you just ignored them, but you're obviously not strong enough._

Tyre, already knowing he lost, stared into Tai's blue-black eyes, _they're so deep… so determined, and yet they seem so sad, but how can that be? A warrior can never fight with such hindrance. They seem filled with anger, but at the same time the fire seems to be confined within its own chamber, forbidden to escape_…

A loud voice shattered Tyre from his thoughts, "The battle is finished! Tai is the winner of the annual competition!" The announcer stood there despising his position that _he_ had to be the one to announce that a _girl_ was the winner.

Tyre was frozen even when Tai release her lock his mind was set on what he just saw. His private teacher always taught him that the eyes know all and show all, not to mention that eyes prove what's going inside of a person. Tyre had saw the emotions clearly mixed in her eyes and yet Tai was still able to battle and win effectively. _Her eyes were fierce and concentrated, yet at the same time they seem sad and afraid. What can be disturbing her?_ Tyre wondered this while still having his back pinned to the wall.


	2. Profits

Chapter Two 

"Hey Tyre! What? Still can't admit defeat to a girl?" tested Li.

Tyre snapped out of his thoughts for a second time and answered, "Oh… no, just thinking."

"'Bout what?"

Tyre began thinking again; if he told Li what he was really thinking about he would be sure to laugh his head off. Ever since the day they were friends Li never thought so deep; his head was too basic. The first time Tyre tried to get half as deep as he was thinking now was a _big_ mistake. With no better excuse Tyre answered, "I was just thinking about… issues."

"Uh-huh. Okay… come on pal, the emperor is going to award us the medals!" Li yanked Tyre's arm and hauled him up to the stage where the awards were to be given.

"Third place goes to Li Cyrae, second goes to Tyrone… Tyre Skyler, and finally, the Winner of this Annual Competition is Tai Caliste!" shouted the emperor. He placed around each of their necks a medallion with their names on it. Each of them wore it proudly and the emperor wanted to speak with each of them individually. The emperor decided to speak with Li first.

------

"I see you've tried hard, but it ended up in failure. Such devotion deserves a reward. What do you desire my friend?"

Li froze, _am I actually talking to the emperor? The high ruler of all three cities? The idol that every boy in the county wants to b…_

"Do you want anything?"

Li thought about it and replied, "Well, I… I live in the land of Ruby City and m… my family can barely hang on with the... the budget we have left."

"So you desire money?" interrupted the emperor; many of the wishes he granted had a lot to do with money.

But Li was not finished, "Um… no, actually my father is interested in being a… a blacksmith and I was wondering if you could supply us with the materials needed to start."

The emperor thought and stroked his graybeard, "Hmm, for how long?"

"Just up until we're out of our financial problems and we can start fending for ourselves."

The emperor thought some more, "Hmm, very well, I shall grant you your request."

"Thank you sir."

The emperor ordered that a contract be written and signed. Li sat in the stands as Tyre was to be presented to the emperor.

------

"Well my boy, you battled diligently as did the others, and I believe that second place deserves a little bit more."

Tyre was too stunned to say anything. The emperor shook his head, he knew that many of the boys living in the cities wanted to meet him, but their hesitations bored him at times. "Please, is there anything you are in need of… money, materials, anything?"

"A… bigger house would be nice your majesty."

"And why is that?"

"I have a mother and a father… and an older brother."

_Unfortunately,_ Tyre added silently in his head, "We have money, but our house is too small to fit us all and we don't have enough to buy another one."

"Alright, I take your reason with respect and I'll grant you the right to have a bigger house of your choice."

"Thank you your majesty."

Tyre signed a contract with the emperor just as Li had done before.

Tyre took a seat next to Li and watched as Tai confidently, but reluctantly approached the platform in front of the throne.

------

"Ah yes, the winner," said the emperor warmly, "This is quite an accomplishment for you, my b… I mean young lass. Though I have donated much to the wishes of the two other contestants, I do think you deserve something too."

Tai thought, _accursed stepfamily! What person has such a life where the only thing they care for is themselves, even if it does them wrong? Those fools will take the credit of raising me too. They think they can take the place of my real parents, but they will never. I rather die than allow such a thing._

The emperor, thinking Tai was as astonished as the other two, waved a hand in front of Tai's face, "Yes, um is there anything you would like?"

Tai blinked and tried to word her sentence as nice as she could, "I want nothing, sire."

"Nothing? Nothing at all? But I am offering you anything that I will approve of and you want nothing? Come there must be something you want - don't try and be humble, you deserve it."

Tai shook her head, "No your majesty, I desire nothing."

"Are you sure? Because I could fulfill your dreams, your nearly impossible goals could very well be…"

"Please your highness, I want nothing."

"Very well. However, Lady Tai before you go, could you possibly remove your mask so that we can see the beautiful face of our very first female contestant and winner?"

Tai's eyes widened slightly; she had used a mask that concealed her nose, mouth, and parts of her cheeks to purposely shield her face from identification. If she were to take them off, what she had worked on her entire life - the straining effort in survival would have been in vain. Her entire life would be altered anew, in good and bad ways. Who knew what would happen if she were to take her mask off.

Tai would have agreed if not for her stepfamily and her registration name. Not only had Tai run from her home temporarily, but she had also lied about her identity. Her name was not Tai Caliste as she had registered it, but Kriztian Eklypz. She would not be forgiven if anyone were to find out that she lied to the emperor. Her stepfamily would not allow her to do anything outside the house again (not that she needed their permission) and she would be severely punished by society and her stepfamily. Her reputation as the first female contestant of the Annual Competition would become the infamy of being the girl of deceiving the ruler of the county. The already irritating stares of the audiences became even more annoying as Kriztian though about this. Finally coming to, she answered, "No, I do not wish to do so."

Tethys, who was sitting next to his father, banged his chair arm and jumped from his seat proclaiming, "Lady Tai! Are you denying the emperor?"

_That's Lady _Kris_ to you, _thought Kriztian. Even though her full name was Kriztian, she despised the name and practically lived on the shortened version, Kris.

She shot the prince a look and held back her temper, calmly replying, "How can I deny the emperor, when it was a question, not a command?"

"Please son," whispered the emperor. Tethys slowly sat down and glared right back at the person known as Tai, "But father, if you are to simply command that she remove her mask, then she will _have_ to listen to you."

"My son you have a lot to learn about being the emperor. Alright then, if you have no desire for anything then I might as well just give you something smaller for your honor and courage." The emperor clapped his hands and an energetic and furious bird was brought forth. However, the servant holding the cage released his grip when the wild bird had found a way to get its talons through the bars to scratch him.

Tethys' temper broke out again, "Father! This is unbearable! First she denies your order and now she claims the right to my bird?"

Kris stood there clenching and flexing her fingers; this kid had worse of a temper tolerance than she did and hers was worse enough. Kris wished to ask the emperor for permission to pound that spoiled, insolent brat, but knew that if she could not control her temper, it would place a bad impression on her newly gained identity. So instead of raising a fist she used a nice exaggerated voice to show that she was getting angry, "May I remind you that first of all, I did not deny an order, it was a question. Second of all, I never _claimed_ anything."

"Now she yells at me, oh father." Tethys buried his head in his father's sleeve.

The emperor shook his head and sighed, "My son, do not fret, I'll give you the Red-Crested Eagle, how's that? Please forgive my son, he has a lot to learn and acts foolish sometimes."

Tai reluctantly replied under her breath, "He's forgiven."

"Anyway, this bird is the Blue-Tailed Falcon, commonly known as the Blue Streak. Many of my servants and courtiers have tried numerous times to break its spirit, but they all have failed. This is rare breed of bird and almost everyone in the castle wants it, but since it cannot be broken, many have given up. If we had broken its spirit, we might have given it to my son. My courtiers and I have been debating on the issue of freeing or keeping this bird. For weeks we have not come to a certain decision, so I am giving _you_ the option of keeping it, leaving it, or freeing it."

Kris stared down at it as it stared back up at her. _What could I do with a stupid bird like that? Ugh, I guess I could train it and let it fly free out of sight from my stepfamily… or I could kill it incase my stepfamily decides to starve me for months. _Kris grinned at the idea.

_It wouldn't hurt… I suppose._ Kris nodded her approval to keep it.


	3. Attack

Chapter Three 

The ceremony was over and everyone prepared to leave. One of the emperor's servants had gone to fetch Kris' horse, but after a while the servant still did not return. Nearly everyone was out the door and the fretting bird had fallen asleep from boredom. Kris guessed that her stubborn mare did not allow the minion to get close. Kris smiled to herself as she leaned against the wall. That horse had been born to two wild horses and Kris had worked so hard just to earn its credit (her stepfamily wouldn't give her another one). Now that stallion wouldn't listen or allow anyone else to ride her. Finally, Kris decided to go find the horse herself. Just as she suspected, her mare was still in its stall and the servant had been knocked to the floor. "You can go," spoke Kris, _useless human being_. The servant left with thankfulness as Kris rode back to the arena to get her stuff.

Kris carefully tied the cage containing the sleeping bird to her horse. However, when she mounted her horse, the rocking had caused the Blue Streak fowl to wake from its short nap. Already irritated for being confined, she start fussing in her cage again. _Tseer! Tseer!_ She called. Kris ignored the beating and rode towards the exit with everyone else.

Later, _Keah! Keah!_ This new call caught Kris' attention, her newly acquired bird, out of nowhere, was desperately warning her to go back. Kris dismounted and stared fiercely into the eyes of the falcon of which was begging to be freed just a while ago. Kris began making a purring sort of noise mixed with a tint of high-pitched notes.

Surprised, the bird began making the same noise that Kris was making. Kris, like Tyre, was somewhat special. Tyre, having the strong abilities of a wolf, Kris had the strong abilities of a bird. Intimately, she had a pair of abjured silver-blue wings and retractable talons on her hands and feet. Her hearing was exceptional and her sight was just as acute as her hearing. She could speak the bird language and was a rarest half-breed of her kind.

Many of the other people with her abilities had the same traits, but only one in a trillion half-breeds of her Clan would one come out with a pair of wings like hers. If anyone were to find out about Kris' little secret they would immediately hunt her down for 'human wings' that contain healthy elements. These healthy elements could not be duplicated elsewhere and they can heal any disease, illness, or wound. Kris shivered at the thought of being separated with her veiled limbs. The Blue Streak continued crying out even when Kris had understood and began calling everyone to come back in. Setting the unsettling bird down on the arena floor, Kris left it there to pick up later. Remounting her horse, Kris rode out. The fickle bird was warning Kris that there was to be an attack on the people as soon as they all left. Many had already left the doors and only a few were left inside so when Kris got to the door, the assault had already begun.

------

There was screaming and utter chaos, everyone was panicking and some were already dead. Even though Kris could only count thirty opponents, many of the spectators could not defend themselves against the weapons. Kris rode out into the crowd and beckoned everyone to retreat into the stadium, _pathetic humans, so easily distracted. How can they not even _think_ about running back to the stadium for shelter?_

------

Tyre and Li, seeing what Kris was attempting, joined her and began to do the same. At first they were trying to defend the citizens, but when they saw Kris guiding the people to back to the stadium it suddenly hi them that it was better for the people to defend themselves than for them to defend the people. Arrows were shooting out from the bushes and Kris had to concentrate on calling the people in and stopping the arrows at the same time. When most of the crowd had obeyed, Kris, Tyre, and Li still had somewhat of a duty to search for lost and separated wanderers. One of the lost wanderers was Prince Tethys. Although he was covered with guards when he left, the confusion through the whole ambush left the young prince alone. Prince Tethys had heard the calls to go back to the stadium, but he could not find the door. In his desperation of looking for the entrance, he was unaware of the incoming arrow that was shot from the nearby bushes.

"Watch out!" cried Tyre, but he was too far for Tethys to hear and Tyre could only sit on his steed as he watch the arrow creep closer for the prince's heart. Then all of a sudden, Tyre's eyes caught a blur of blue as his semi-royal highness fell off his horse and rolled onto the floor.

Tethys was shocked; he was sitting perfectly fine on his horse one moment and the next thing he knew he was rudely shoved off. Tethys was forced to pay a little visit to dirt, which was very uncommon for him, as when he tripped, one of his servants would break his fall or catch him. Tethys got back up and stood up straight. Brushing the dirt off of him as soon as he could, he then shouted in anger, "Who the…? What in the world are you doing? Look what you've done to my clothes! I'll have your head for thi…"

Tethys stopped; his fire was immediately lessened from the surprise he was looking at. Kris was slowly getting to her feet and blood was dripping down her arm. Kris had saved the prince, but in doing so, the arrow had hit her instead.

Tethys, being too proud to thank anyone, jumped back on his horse and said, "I never asked for help, nor do I need anyone's help, especially not from a girl." Tethys cleared his head and was able to find the entrance as he ambled towards the door to the amphitheater.

------

Li had already returned to the arena and Tethys had just reached the door. Tyre could clearly see that Kris was in misfortune because many of the arrows no longer had many targets and Kris was standing there like a sitting duck. It was clear that Kris, being badly injured and drained of energy, could not stand a chance to try and dodge them all. Eventually one would find it's way through and reach its target. Pushing his horse into a full gallop, Tyre snatched Kris off the ground by her uninjured arm and flung her behind him. Looking back, there was a bunch of arrows protruding from the ground just where Kris was standing.

------

Kris was trying to stay alert, but she could barely keep conscious. Just listening to Tethys complaining after she just saved his life was giving her an even worse of a headache. _That arrogant bastard, if he weren't prince I'd who him a thing or two, _thought Kris regretting her action. Saving the prince was not the top on her priority list. Being lifted off the ground did not help Kris' headache either. Kris got dizzy and she could feel her attention slowly slipping from her grasp. The previous battling and sudden movements in warning the villagers of danger had drained her energy and losing blood was not a very good thing to occur at the moment. Kris felt her head droop and land on a surface. The plane felt warm compared to the cold air surrounding her. From there Kris was only half-awake.

------

Tyre was riding as fast as he could before the arrows could catch up and at the same time, tried not to go too fast that Kris would fall off. Kris' horse was obediently trailing them with equal and if not faster speed. Tyre would sometimes feel gentle, but rude nudges as Kris' horse clearly did not appreciate her riding another mount. Tyre had almost reached the door when he felt Kris use the space between his shoulder blades as a headrest. Listening to her soft, but weakening gasps, Tyre ran through the door and the doors were slammed shut. Tyre dismounted and delicately set Kris down.

Kris quickly recovered from her energy crisis, but could feel the burn still flaring on her left arm. As Kris gradually opened her eyes, she heard a voice say, "Lady Tai, are you alright?" Kris shook her head, her head was still dizzy and the world was still spinning before her eyes.

"Lady Tai, is there anything I can get you?" the voice spoke again.

Focusing, Tai saw Tyre staring at her, _ugh do you have to be so close? I need air here._

"Yeah I need some air and a surpassing life."

Tyre backed off a little, "Hah hah, very funny. Now really do you need anything?"

Kris began exaggerating, "Hmm… let's see I'm injured in the arm, a foot long arrow is sticking out of my arm, I barely came out of consciousness, and now you're ask me if I need anything?! Whatever, get me two pieces of cloth and some water."

"You there, go get two pieces of cloth and a bucket of water!"

_Lady Tai? Wait, wha…_ Kris was still confused and had not straightened everything out. As soon as the cloth and water was brought to her, Kris cupped her hands together and splashed the cool water on her face. This woke her up instantly and everything that had happened was cleared up. Kris' arm stung in an inferno of pain and the salt from her sweat did not help. Taking one of the two pieces of cloth, Kris soaked it in water and began sopping up the dried blood that was left all over her arm. Grasping the arrow still attached to her upper arm, Kris closed her eyes, and abruptly yanked as hard as she could. Kris could see Tyre turn away from the sight of the event. _How pitiful, and you call yourself a warrior,_ thought Kris.Quietly moaning in pain, then relaxing in ease, Kris set the arrow down and began wiping the incoming blood. Taking the dried piece of cloth, Kris wrapped and tied it around her arm, covering the deep wound.

When it was all over, Tyre informed Kris, "The emperor said he wanted to see you 'as soon as you are able.'" Kris nodded and tried getting up by herself, but she was still too weak and collapsed in exhaustion. Seeing this, Tyre helped Kris up and wrapped her arm around his neck. Slowly taking a step at a time and using Tyre as support, Kris could see that the survivors were scattered in the arena and as well as in the stands. All of them were scared and were huddled in separate bundles.

When Kris got to the emperor, he could see that she could not hold a standing position for very long, and commanded for two chairs to be brought forth and instructed them to sit down.

Kris sat down and Tyre did so as well. "Thank you for saving my son," began the emperor, "Obviously he won't admit it, but I did catch the entire thing. Is there anything that you would like? I know you want nothing, but I don't think that this kind of heroic feat deserves nothing."

Kris shook her head, her temper was starting to bubble up again, but she was too weak to show it, "With much respect your honor, I want nothing."

The emperor relaxed for a moment, "My dear child, you are so humble, but I'm afraid I cannot let this one slide. There must be something that I can do for you."

Kris had the heaviest bearing of temptation as she did want one thing, but it could not be helped. Kris shook her again, but this time instead of saying no, she spoke, "If your majesty insists so much, then I would like to put the wish on hold just as the other wish I was offered. Yes, I do not want anything, but this might hold me value in the future."

The emperor rubbed his chin and nodded in agreement, "Very well then. If you ever want anything, then you may approach me at any moment to make your request. I will inform my guards. Unfortunately, the soldiers at the arena door are still present and have no intends to leave soon. I have no strategy and now we are only in the position to wait."

Kris thought about the situation, _how can humans not even know about the forceful pull of the earth? Regulars can get so dull and boring. How do they even survive in life if they can't even think in the slightest strained situation?_

""That's not quite true," Kris replied.

The emperor and Tyre looked at Kris, "Oh?"

"By launching an offensive attack, we could have our soldiers shoot arrows from above. Our arrows will have much more force, and if the enemy were to respond, their arrows will be pathetically weak from the pull of the earth. I devise that if we attack from above, the enemy will have no choice, but to flee or die."

"Hmm… what do you think Tyre? Do you think Lady Tai's strategy will ward off our attackers?"

Tyre wondered why he couldn't think of this before, "I do believe that Lady Tai has come up with an idea that none of us have thought of. It's worth a try."

The emperor smiled and made an order to his commander in chief of his armed warriors, "You are to gather all the sharpshooters you have as well as bows and arrows. We are going to be shooting from above and these two fine commanders-in-training will be assisting you. Find the third symbol from Emerald City, he should be running up and about with the survivors. As soon as we run out of arrows, the enemy should be weakened or on the run, at that time you may go on an all-in assault. We have few arrows and I do not want them to go to waste, is that clear?!"

"Yes sir!"


	4. Opposition

Chapter Four 

The commander in chief motioned for Tyre and Kris to follow. When they had found Li, bows and arrows were handed to each sharpshooter; each of them took their positions behind the stone walls and leaned over the side to take aim. The commander in chief cried, "Fire!" Many arrows were evaded and about five men fell. The three commanders-in-training were doing just as well as the other sharpshooters as if they had done this before.

"Fire!" cried the commander. Again about five men fell.

This continued until only ten men were left and the soldiers were out of arrows. The remaining ten rebels refused to leave and instead braced themselves for another round. Every one of the fifty archers including Tyre, Kris, and Li began sliding down the purposely forty degree-angled walls, each of them wielding a sword. The opponents were skilled and many archers died in battle. Tyre fought hard and managed to ward off one and kill another. Kris headed for the one that seemed like the leader as if she was drawn to him. Wearing a black cloak, he fought back equally skilled as Kris was. Surprisingly, every one of Kris' special attacks was blocked and when Kris attempted the one-of-a-kind tactic taught by her father, it was blocked as if the enemy knew exactly how to do so.

Both of them were trying hard, but there was no progress anywhere. Each attempt was block, each block had a counter, each counter had a comeback, and the process continued in a never-ending cycle. The battle winner could not be determined and as Kris kept the leader concentrated, each of his fellow warriors slowly began deserting or dying. Soon he was the only one left. Striking Kris purposely on her injured arm with the flat side of the blade, Kris cried out in pain and the once-nonstop sword in her right hand just lingered unmoving. This gave the leader some time to think. Deciding, he leaped back and although Kris couldn't see his face, she was sure that he gave her a flying kiss as well as a sign telling her that they would meet again. That move disgusted her.

As soon as he was out of view, Kris collapsed and the only thing that held her up was a knee and her sword. Kris was extremely exhausted, her left arm was still in no condition to move, and she barely had any time to rest. Kris was surprised that she was still conscious. As soon as everyone caught up, they found that the leader was gone and began walking back to the arena to announce victory. However, Kris was too tired once again to lift herself up. Tyre approached her and offered, "Need a ride?" Kris looked up and saw Tyre's eyes of compassion.

------

Kris never had this kind of kindness before because of the cruelty of her stepfamily. Her half-hawk mother had died while giving birth to her younger sister, Nikki, and her half-falcon father remarried an _average_ human soon after, but after just a few months he passed away in from an illness and the Regular mother remarried in a year. Her stepmother had no idea of the family's hidden gifts. Avlikyn, Kris' older brother, would try and protect his two younger sisters from the unexplained punishments, but then something happened (Kris doesn't remember what) and he had to leave. Before he left, Avlikyn promised to return, but after years of waiting the day still never came. From there Kris' older stepsister, Lily, would just tease and taunt her even harder, every one was for no reason.

Then a day came where Lily was playing with dangerous chemicals and decided to experiment on Nikki. The result was death. Avlikyn had left, Nikki was dead, and Kris was the only one left out of the three and no one in that household treated Kris like a relative; it was more like a slave. Kris did all the chores, cooking, cleaning, and such, but she still did not receive the meals or shelter she deserved. It was because of the slave duties that Kris was not aware of Lily's experiment. Kris hated her life, but never cried nor reacted with violence. How she wanted to hurt her stepparents, but an unknown force constrained her and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't.

------

Kris was too tired to show strength and accepted Tyre's offer. Tyre tied Kris' sword to his belt for efficiency as Kris rode on his back. Kris was so tired that she rested her head on his neck and closed her eyes. _Why does _he_ care so much? I barely know him and it's not like he owes me anything,_ thought Kris. The caring thing was new to her and she didn't know what to think of it. Kris was so weary that she didn't even want to expand on that idea anymore and fell asleep for a second time on Tyre's back.

Kris awoke with a start, her sleep had been terrible for the past few years and she woke up sweating every time… including this one. "You're covered in sweat, " spoke Tyre, who was sitting right next to her. Both of them sat on the arena floor in a hallway. The entire stadium was empty.

"Don't you think I know that?" snapped Kris, she could never control her temper that well, and remember Tyre's kindness made her slowly add, "Sorry."

------

Tyre at first withdrew, but after Kris apologized he spoke, "Do nightmares haunt you in your sleep? Don't worry about it, I can understand why."

Kris managed to force a smile although she really wasn't in the mood for one, _even being a wolf-half breed, he cannot possibly understand, not one can ever understand_. Kris never knew why she would be tense after her dream. Whatever she dreamt about she would know what it was about at the time, but no matter how hard she tried, there was no possible way that she could wake up remembering.

Tyre smiled back and added, "The emperor saw how tired you were so he said that we could spend the night. Everyone already left… including Li. He said his parents would kill him if he stayed overnight without an adult supervising him. You'd think that he'd be old enough to take care of himself now."

Kris was curious, "Lord Tyre?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you stay?"

Tyre wanted to respond, but he couldn't find the words, all he could manage to choke out was, "Um, I… I was too tired to go home anyway, so I stayed behind. Besides I told a kid to tell my family that I would be arriving late. He told me he was going to Diamond City, so I told him to tell my parents… they don't mind if I send a messenger."

"I've caused you enough trouble."

"Don't worry about it. I just had to make sure that you weren't sick or anything."

"You've been through just as much as I have and I've had some rest, you should get some sleep too."

"Yeah, but I don't need that much sleep because I'm a guy and you're a…" Tyre stopped, afraid to hurt Kris' feelings.

Kris plainly finished for him, "…a girl. Get some rest. I'm going out to get a drink." Tyre nodded as Kris walked out the hallway towards the nearby lake with the small waterfall.

------

Kris' fists were clenched tight as she fought not to say anything mean to Tyre. Watching her tongue was not the easiest thing to do. She had to argue with her stepsister all the time and Kris was never that nice before. Speaking in a cruel tone had become automatic and most of the words weren't very nice either. Everyone in town knew her as the 'sweetest thing' because they all knew what Kris did to help the family, but her stepfamily only knew her as the 'devil's daughter' because of the obnoxious attitude Kris always gave them. As she finished her drink, she caught a glimpse of light shimmer under the waterfall. Kris wiped her mouth with her sleeve. Walking to the waterfall, Kris cautiously reached under the ice cold water to lift the shiny object out. As Kris' fingers touched the smooth surface she felt a slight wave that tingled through her body. Wet and caked with mud, Kris walked back over to still   
water and washed it off. The object was a clear-blue crystalline sphere with a symbol in the center:

Kris trembled with dismay; this symbol was the exact same copy as the symbol that was written in her father's last letter. Kris lifted the sphere towards the moon for better light. Yes, it wasn't just an illusion, the symbol matched the letters perfectly and Kris had no idea what to do with it. So instead of tossing it away, she tucked it into one of her belt pockets. The letter had written:

Avlikyn Ayte Eklypz, Kriztian Titania Eklypz, Nikki Dione Eklypz…

I fear that my time is coming near to an end and it will soon be time for me to join your mother. Before I go, there are a few things I must tell you. Avlikyn you are the oldest, it is in my will that you care for your two younger sisters. As for your stepsister, it is not my choice to tell you what to do about her. Avlikyn, you must protect your sisters, for I fear that something is to come when I am gone. Kriztian, I know you prefer Kris, but you must listen carefully. I know your attitude is stubborn and your determinations strives you to do things even better than your brother. However, when I am gone, you must be careful and never forget the love that your family has given to you. Nikki, you are young and not yet mature. I will assume that your older siblings will take care of you. Time is short and it cannot be helped, it will be even shorter if you are not cared well for. As my last wish, Avlikyn, you are never to break a promise you make, Kris, you are to protect and love your brother and sister at all times no matter what the situation, and Nikki, you must enjoy life as it is, for a young life is always the best. Farewell.

Aeleron Acsent Eklypz

The symbol was small, but it was identical to the one in the sphere. Kris never really understood the part where her father told her to 'protect and love your brother and sister at all times' because usually the protecting was Avlikyn's job. As Kris reminisced about the letter, she realized that what he had written about Nikki was somehow connected to her death. 'Time is short and it cannot be helped, it will be shorter if you are not cared well for.' Kris now understood that her father knew about Nikki's death and she felt horrible. The fault was hers, if Kris had kept an eye out for her sister and not the kitchen, Lily would have never gotten to the chemicals and killed her. But, her father _did_ write that it was not preventable, so that kind of made Kris feel a little better. _Where are you?_ Kris wondered, _Avlikyn… you _promised_ you'd come back, whatever happened to father's last words? Do they no longer matter to you?_

------

Kris was now defending the city from evil gangs. The job was handed down to her from her father, but he was only a substitute for when Kris' mother died. This was supposed to be handed to Avlikyn, the oldest one in the family, but since Avlikyn was gone, it became Kris' duty. Her hero name was known as Tai. There was no specific last name, but because she had on the same outfit during the competition, Kris decided to call herself Tai and placed Caliste as the last name in her mother's honor.

Having enough to drink, she slowly meandered back towards the stadium, thinking about the identical symbolic object she had just found. When she got back, she found Tyre in the hallway sleeping as sound as a baby. Her mind immediately left the sphere, _feh, so this is what boys do when girls aren't around. They act tough and restless, but as soon as you're not looking, they fall asleep just like everyone else._ Kris smiled and sat down next to Tyre and closed her eyes.

Tyre woke up and yawned, he turned around and found Kris sleeping right next to him. _She sweating again,_ he thought, _I wonder what nightmares cause her to be so troubled_. Yawning again, Tyre stood up and stretched, he hadn't had such a peaceful awakening in months. His brother would always wake him up on purpose in the morning to get him annoyed.

Taking a morning stroll, Tyre observed the arena that he had battled in just the other day before. This time it looked smaller,_ maybe because of the lack of people,_ thought Tyre. Walking closer into the middle, he caught eye of a small strange box. However, the strange thing about the box was not of how it looked on the outside, but because it was shaking back and forth in a wobbling walk sort of way. As the box crept closer, Tyre could see that it in fact wasn't a box, but a cage and inside the cage was a diligent bird who clearly wanted to be freed.

Tyre was going to open the weary latch, but before he could even touch the cage, the bird reached out and swiped at him. Tyre shrunk back just in time. The bird gave him an angry look and continued shaking back and forth. Obviously this bird wanted to free herself. However, Tyre did not like to fail nor did he like being overpowered, so instead of leaving, he reached again. The same outcome came forward and Tyre continued trying. Neither bird nor boy would give up and the system continued in a never-ending cycle.

"Just leave it alone, it's not like she wants your help," spoke a voice from behind that belonged to Kris. Tyre jumped, he had not heard anyone approaching (remember that his hearing is much more sophisticated than the average person was, so this seemed odd to him).

"Oh, Lady Tai. You're awake. I was just… never mind." Tyre made a face at the bird. The bird chirped happily, she knew that she had won. Kris smiled, "You can go home now. You probably have… friends and family who want to congratulate you."

In saying 'friends and family' Kris winced. Tyre noticed and asked, "You okay? Do you need me to accompany you or something?" Kris wanted this, never before had she had such a person care so much for her (it was probably an average treatment of a person, but it seemed really kind to Kris), but nevertheless Kris simply couldn't allow it. She would put her life in jeopardy and probably loose the indulgent behavior Tyre was giving her. She did not want to loose the trust that Tyre was showing and did not want to let Tyre know that who he was talking to was a servant girl, not the fierce warrior that he knew now.

"No, I'm fine."

"Oh, okay… then I'll just let you leave whenever you feel ready."

"Alright, bye!"

"Bye!" and with that, Tyre left and Kris knelt down to put herself at the level of the stubborn bird that had prevented many lives from perishing.

"So you think you can escape that cage all by yourself huh? What a stupid bird you are," cooed Kris.

The fowl recognized Kris' voice and screeched in annoyance, "Yeah, well how would you feel if you were tricked by an imitation bird-lover and imprisoned for life because of that one mistake?"

Kris nodded, but still questioned, "Little bird, be more specific, are you talking about now as in me or the past as in some other blockhead?"

"I'm talking about the past dodo brain! What else would it be? You're not a bird-lover! You humans can never understand the life of a bird, nor can a human be trusted."

"How would you know, I do understand…" Kris stopped and choosing her words carefully, "I know how it is to live the life of a rare breed."

The Blue Streak pecked at her wing, "How would you know? Have you ever been a bird?"

Kris' eyes widened a bit, "Actually I've been a 'bird' all my life."

The falcon cocked her head in arrogance, "Prove it."

"Then explain to me how I can speak to you?"

"That's not proof! I know an entire race that can talk to birds and they have talons just like yours!"

"Insolent bird, I wasn't done yet. True, I am from that race, but I'm… different."

"How so?"

"I thought you weren't interested. Maybe I'll show you if I know that you can keep a secret, but of course no one can keep a secret these days."

The bird lowered its head, she didn't like this idea, but she was a curious animal and her prying demeanor overcame her. She wanted to know so she unwillingly chirped, "What do I have to do?"

"Just show me that I can trust you."

"Fine, but you promise that you will tell me."

"Fine."

"Deal," the Blue Streak replied.

"Okay then, I tell you when I feel that you are reliable enough and even if you did fly away, you'd never know the secret. My name's Kris."

"Fine, you know that you're not supposed to stall for time and lie about my trustworthiness."

"Don't worry, I won't."

"You better not. I'm Tsyun."

"Hey…"

"Don't give me that human greeting!"

"Well, if you are to be trusted, then you might as well get used to the fact that I am at least part-human and there's nothing you can do about it. Besides I thought you said that humans could not be trusted."

"…do I have a choice?"

"Good question, I guess not, but then, how would I know that birds are just as trusted?" and with that Kris unlocked the latch and let Tsyun fly free for a few rounds. Finding her horse, Kris began trotting home with Tsyun flying up above her.


End file.
